Building a house: what are your must have or want to have items?

#101
#101
Tin Man said:
Concrete dome with full basement connected by tube to concrete dome detached garage. Half buried into a hill at higher than surrounding elevations. Geothermal climate plus strategically placed fans to aid circulation, ducting, and electric heat pump. Wood burning fireplace with built in forced air system integrate into ducting. Solar panel exterior with advanced power storage and two-way meter to grid. Fiber optic cabling. Underground potable water storage. Ballistic windows that can withstand impacts with objects propelled by hurricane force or tornadic winds. Indoor-outdoor integrated living area with dual kitchens. Master suit with huge tub for two. Gray water system for garden & landscaping. Guest rooms with shared bath, extra toilet (all with bidet capability). Outdoor shower. Great room living area. Wine and root cellars partitioned in basement. There’s more, but I gotta go to sleep.
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$750,000?
 
#103
#103
Stem walls are up and ready to fill with dirt. May be poured this week but definitely by next. Then we can start seeing some real progress
 
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#105
#105
Actually, I got the fundamental concept - concrete dome(s) with ballistic windows - from a millionaire in Florida. Having lost two expensive homes to hurricanes in quick succession, he built a monstrous concrete dome on his desirable ocean front property. His was the size of a hockey arena and cost millions. I've more modest proportions in mind. If I'm thinking ideal house, I'm not counting costs until I'm actually inclined to begin a project. Then, whatever is realized will be what I can afford.
 
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#106
#106
Tin Man said:
Actually, I got the fundamental concept - concrete dome(s) with ballistic windows - from a millionaire in Florida. Having lost two expensive homes to hurricanes in quick succession, he built a monstrous concrete dome on his desirable ocean front property. His was the size of a hockey arena and cost millions. I've more modest proportions in mind. If I'm thinking ideal house, I'm not counting costs until I'm actually inclined to begin a project. Then, whatever is realized will be what I can afford.
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This 'hurricane-proof' house, on Sullivan's Island, SC, is pretty neat. I believe it's called "Eye of the Storm"...seems fitting!

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#108
#108
Go aeiou said:
It appears to be only 5-10 feet above high tide.
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Yep, that thought crossed my mind last time I walked past it a while back. I'd like to think that the designers thought through the interior finishes, drainage, etc a bit.
 
#110
#110
Don’t know if it’s too late for you, but get the remote mounted bathroom exhaust fans that have a duct to the bathroom ceiling. Best to put them on a timer as ours are so quiet that it would be easy to forget to turn them off. Always hated those rattling ceiling mounted ones that drove me crazy.

Also, electric tile floor heaters in the bath are really nice in East TN for the cooler months and aren’t very expensive.

Good luck with the build! Materials are crazy expensive right now but that doesn’t appear to be slowing anything down
 
#111
#111
My brother just remodeled the kitchen on the 1861 farm house on the property. It's in good shape but not perfect. Over the last 8 years, he's re-sided and fixed sill plates and studs where needed, but since it was built out of 4x4 hardwood studs that was minimal. He put a new roof on the shop. converted a falling out building into a stable hen house. added a green house to a corner of the garden, etc. Anyway, they just finished updating the kitchen. He's a good craftsman. The old pantry is where the fridge went, but he left the shelves on the sides. You can pull the fridge out and get to deep storage for the garden canning and such. Added a new corner pantry. New cabinets. Pot Filler. Big new stove that is gas range on top and electric oven on bottom. He piped the gas in from out back and hooked up 20 pound propane tank. Stove will run about 9 months off a tank. My house started in the 30's and was doubled in the 50's. So far re-doing the bathroom is all the major work I've done. It's not easy. My wall are sheetrock on top of hardwood boards on top of hardwood studs. That's the inside. Can't drive any nail without pre-drilling.
 
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#112
#112
GVF said:
My brother just remodeled the kitchen on the 1861 farm house on the property. It's in good shape but not perfect. Over the last 8 years, he's re-sided and fixed sill plates and studs where needed, but since it was built out of 4x4 hardwood studs that was minimal. He put a new roof on the shop. converted a falling out building into a stable hen house. added a green house to a corner of the garden, etc. Anyway, they just finished updating the kitchen. He's a good craftsman. The old pantry is where the fridge went, but he left the shelves on the sides. You can pull the fridge out and get to deep storage for the garden canning and such. Added a new corner pantry. New cabinets. Pot Filler. Big new stove that is gas range on top and electric oven on bottom. He piped the gas in from out back and hooked up 20 pound propane tank. Stove will run about 9 months off a tank. My house started in the 30's and was doubled in the 50's. So far re-doing the bathroom is all the major work I've done. It's not easy. My wall are sheetrock on top of hardwood boards on top of hardwood studs. That's the inside. Can't drive any nail without pre-drilling.
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My parents did something similar, but with a 1918 farm house. 1861... wow! My stepfather just turned half of the attic into another bedroom. Amazing what they've done to the place! Love seeing beautiful older homes restored.
 
#113
#113
utvolpj said:
We've thrown most of those around but most of our friends with the whole home audio regret it. Just said they don't use it enough. I could see us doing the same. Don't have gas which sucks because we had a Rinnai and a great range in our first house and loved it. Going to put my squat rack in the garage. Works ok now. Will have a hit tub/spa attached to the pool which my wife required.

Got rid of formal dining and moved since walls to get a larger den/bonus for the boys and me. Games, computers and our air hockey table should fit

Have a great kitchen nook and getting a table built for it locally. One of our splurges

We did a farmhouse in our first kitchen remodel and not sure we're going to do it again. You have one and like it? We keep going back and forth.


Oh yeah, added that to the list
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Yea, one of the first things I did when I got my current house 5 years ago was take out the whole home audio. Really dated the place.

I'm assuming insta hot is basic to new homes.

A couple features I had at my previous home (nice custom home built in 2007) hot water lines that circulate so that you have hot water instantly at all faucets in the house.... Very nice not having to wait for hot water anywhere.

Also, had a shower valve mounted on the outside of the house for a "dog wash" with a concrete basin about 3 ft by 3 ft. Very nice to clean up before coming in. Or just to wash things off without bringing anything in the house (golf carts come to mind)

Get the best window treatments and cabinets you can afford. I had Lowen windows and doors loved them.

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#114
#114
VolunteerVandiver said:
My parents did something similar, but with a 1918 farm house. 1861... wow! My stepfather just turned half of the attic into another bedroom. Amazing what they've done to the place! Love seeing beautiful older homes restored.
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Family Home. During Civil War they left the flooring off the joists and just laid walk boards here and there so the house wouldn't be confiscated for quarters. Construction was different then. The full 2 story height walls were studded first, then the floors were worked in when they decided how high each needed to be. A rim board goes on the studs to have a nailer and floor support at the walls. Like you would attach a deck to the house. Cast iron cookware is still in it's places on the back cooking fire places. Untouched for Lord knows how long. First house is long gone. 2nd house is in the woods of the state park now and pre-dates the war house quite a bit. Exterior and interior walls still in surprisingly good shape. Only floors have gone down to the ground. Wall papered with news paper. Makes for good insulation and draft protection cause air doesn't move thru that paper well. I use it to insulate frozen foods on the road. can wrap frozen chicken in about 4 sheets and be frozen solid still after 7 hour drive. No $700 Yeti necessary.
 
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#116
#116
VolunteerVandiver said:
My parents did something similar, but with a 1918 farm house. 1861... wow! My stepfather just turned half of the attic into another bedroom. Amazing what they've done to the place! Love seeing beautiful older homes restored.
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My house is almost self cooling in summer months. Got about 6 100 plus year old Beech trees around it, north, south and west. Not to mention the rest of the woods line only 30 feet behind the house. East side has an enormous Hemlock right beside house. Then I'd say a poplar and monster oak that are well over 100 if not 150. One oak branch spans out about 30 plus feet and where it joins the tree is bigger than most tree trunks.
 
#118
#118
utvolpj said:
Finally framed. Glad I signed the contract for that wood in DecView attachment 368824
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Third roof truss back from the front. Left of those (2) 2x4 runners laid on the trusses. There is a vertical 2x4 that looks like its turned 90 degrees from the plane of the truss and doesnt continue all the way down to the bottom chord. Looks like it might be spliced on there. Am I seeing that correctly?

Also single top plates on your 2x4s? Surprised there isnt some type of tie down at interior walls due to hurricanes, but honestly dont know the florida code so that may not be needed.
 
#119
#119
LouderVol said:
Third roof truss back from the front. Left of those (2) 2x4 runners laid on the trusses. There is a vertical 2x4 that looks like its turned 90 degrees from the plane of the truss and doesnt continue all the way down to the bottom chord. Looks like it might be spliced on there. Am I seeing that correctly?

Also single top plates on your 2x4s? Surprised there isnt some type of tie down at interior walls due to hurricanes, but honestly dont know the florida code so that may not be needed.
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I'll check it out. That was really the first day it was framed and I noticed they've done quite a bit more to secure it. They also have some interesting temp structures built to access the higher parts of the room.

We aren't really in much of a hurricane zone. Didn't look much different than our last home and it only lost a few shingles in a cat 1
 
#120
#120
utvolpj said:
I'll check it out. That was really the first day it was framed and I noticed they've done quite a bit more to secure it. They also have some interesting temp structures built to access the higher parts of the room.

We aren't really in much of a hurricane zone. Didn't look much different than our last home and it only lost a few shingles in a cat 1
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I figured there are some type of anchors at the exterior walls that I couldnt see. Usually the manufacturers are pretty good at knowing what needs to be done, I just found it curious.
 
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#122
#122
utvolpj said:
I'll check it out. That was really the first day it was framed and I noticed they've done quite a bit more to secure it. They also have some interesting temp structures built to access the higher parts of the room.

We aren't really in much of a hurricane zone. Didn't look much different than our last home and it only lost a few shingles in a cat 1
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@utvolpj just curious if you checked on this.
 
#123
#123
LouderVol said:
@utvolpj just curious if you checked on this.
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Not specifically but there were additional metal "cleats" (for lack of a better word) placed at the top and bottoms of all framing. Per insurance, hurricane isn't an issue with us being inland and very high up (for FL)

I think we may also be looking at some custom built-in framing that wouldn't really matter. There are nooks in the kitchen and a large one in the main room where the tv will go
 
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#124
#124
kiddiedoc said:
One last thing: dyed and polished concrete floors are awesome in the appropriate setting. We had the basement polished down to where some aggregate was visible, with diamond-pattern sawcuts and grout. Really nice.
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We were looking in Florida and saw some gorgeous older terrazzo flooring. Also some really rough terrazzo but probably worth restoring. I love that kind of flooring.
 
#125
#125
My father in law lives at high Florida elevation kinda near Inverness. It’s quiet. His house is some similar. He has a big lanai that reaches to the pool house, and that’s nice. You go in the front door and you’re still outdoors. That’s unique. They use concrete shingles. That house has maybe 3 trayed ceilings and that breaks up the framing a bit inside.
 
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